Questions tagged [detailing]
Detailing generally means making a surface smooth-and-clean through minimally-abrasive processes, such as with a clay bar used with an appropriate lubricant.
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How to remove spray coating
I used spray coating to protect my car from scratches but now the coating won't come off I applied it generously because it says 'removable' but I can't clean it with standard car soap and sponge. ...
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How long should car/bike liquid wax should be considered to be safe (on vehicle body) and effective to use?
Note: My question isn't about how long once the wax is applied on bike gonna protect the surface. It is about how long the wax product itself won't go bad in the bottle so that I can use it again and ...
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Is is safe to wash your engine bay?
Civic couPe vti 1999.
I am thinking about washing my engine bay with water.
So long as I remove the battery and leave car to dry for a week will I be safe from any electrical problems?
Are there other ...
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To remove this type of "hard, metallicish" sticker?
My very lucky teen daughter just got a wonderful honest '08 Mustang GT; the black paint work is fair.
One of the old dealers left this hideous sticker on it:
It's one of "those" stickers - ...
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What is the risk of damaging a car when parking it outside for 1 year in a subtropical climate?
I'm living in a Mediterranean climate (subtropical) for 1 year with a 2 year old BMW (black metallic paint, white leather) which I need to park outside (no garage or carport). It will spend perhaps ...
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What class of cleaning/detailing products do I use for artificial/imitation leather?
I just bought a Tesla Model 3, and it's full of artificial leather (seats, dash, doors, center console...)
When browsing car detailing/maintenance stores, I find 2 separate "classes" of cleaners and ...
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Washing a waxed car?
So.. I'm going to wax a car for the first time. From what I hear a wax lasts from 3 weeks to several months (wax+sealant combi product), depending on car usage and product.
What if I want to wash the ...
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Is partially claying okay?
Can you partially 'clay' a car, only claying the problem areas?
Or will you see differences in the end result (after waxing) between area's clayed and not clayed?
I'm just starting in car detailing. ...
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Car touch-up paint... HELP!
I've tried to fix some chipping paint and a tiny rust spot... and created myself a bigger problem:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yZCFZb1YmR8JGkZa6
I back-taped everything carefully... and still got ...
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Removing "granny-mirrors"....?
I've had my charming classic Lincoln Town Car,
for a year. On both exterior wing mirrors, it has small round "assistance mirrors" or "granny mirrors":
I believe these were simply added by a user - ...
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Problem with clear coating headlights
I followed a procedure to clean up my oxidized headlights similar to that which ChrisFix recommends in his video on the subject.
The last step is to clear coat the headlight with a product like ...
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Is this chemical residue on the car surface? If so, how do I repair this?
A couple weeks ago, I brought my car to a detailer. At the time, I asked the detailer to clean out some black marks that were on the white paint door surfaces on my car. I saw him use a pink bleach ...
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Should I clearcoat my headlights after sanding and polishing them?
I had the typical problem of yellow oxidized opaque headlights on my car. So I went through the process of wet sanding and polishing them and now they're crystal clear.
However, I've heard people ...
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What is causing discoloration around door latch
What is causing dull film under left side of door latch and what is best way to get rid of it? Also had same thing around tailgate and other door latch.
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Painting engine block & ancillaries being assembled: when is the right time to do so?
I want to paint my engine block and its ancillary parts while in the assembling process, but I don't know when would be the right time to do it. Should I paint the parts "before" being put together? ...
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Do solvent/gel-based tire dressings have a tangible impact on tire life and performance?
In this video, the professional detailer talks about how "low-odor" solvent-based tire dressings can harden rubber hosing.
He goes on to say:
"I don't want this stuff on my tire if it makes rubber ...
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Safely washing engine bay of Ford Focus
I am trying to clean the engine bay of my 2002 Ford Focus SE, which is really grimy thanks to years of neglect, and a valve cover gasket leak that I recently fixed.
I have been reading about how to ...
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Sealant plus wax, or just sealant?
I was reading in The Haynes Automotive Body Repair & Painting Manual ( 1989 ) that after polishing, you can put a sealant on before you wax in order to give better, longer lasting protection to ...
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How to choose between mild and agressive clay "cut"?
I've seen various clays or clay like products listed with different types of "cut" like mild or aggressive, fine or medium.
What are the uses for these different "cuts" and how would I choose which ...
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How good are clay bar substitutes for "claying"?
I was checking out various different clay bars and ran across this Nanoskin product with quite allot of good reviews which is supposed to be an easier substitute:
I was wondering if anyone here had ...
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How important is it to clay before polishing and waxing?
I've seen a number of mentions of "claying" before polishing, with some people swearing that it's an absolutely necessary step before polishing, while others seem to get good ( or at least pretty ...
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Cleaning and Shining Black, Under Hood Rubber and Plastic Parts
There are various black plastic and rubber parts under my hood I would try to make look nice such as my cold air intake box:
I tried cleaning it with water that had a little vinegar added to it, ...
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Do I really need to wash the outside of my car?
Some people say they wash the outside car every week as it makes the paint nice etc
Are there any benefits of washing the outside of my car?
Do I really need to wash the exterior of my car every ...
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Cut and Polish: Looking for help on how to do my car
I am looking to do a cut and polish on my Australian made Holden Calais VT commodore (98 model).
I am very new to doing cut and polishes and was hoping someone could point me out to what products ...
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What's the difference between a Compounding, Finishing, Buffing, and Polishing pad?
3M and other companies make numerous different types of foam pads (links are to 3M products),
Compounding
Finishing
Buffing
Polishing
What's the difference between these types of pads? How do I use ...
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Best way to wash a soft top?
I'm completely restoring my Jeep's appearence. I got my doors stolen a little over a week ago, so I bought new ones which have to be repainted. I'm taking this opportunity to restore all of the Jeep ...
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